Funding has been secured from the Government’s Town Fund for the restoration of the Grade: II* Listed Old Town Hall and Market Place in Whitby. The project will build on the history and heritage of the area, provide a key focal point for the town and generate sustainable revenue income for the Council. The scheme has secured funding from the Government’s Town Fund and is one of nine projects for which Whitby has secured £17.1 million in total.
This project will revitalise the Grade II* Listed Old Town Hall building and Market Place in Whitby through renovation and renewal. Restoration of the building will secure its structural integrity and improve the visual appearance of this unique heritage asset in the heart of the old town. The building and Market Place will be repurposed to provide year-round space for community and cultural activities and modern facilities for market traders.
Artists image of proposed refurbished Old Town Hall and Market Place
BFF has developed proposals to renovate the 1st floor and attic rooms of the Old Town Hall building, retaining and restoring original features for use as an art gallery/community studio space. Electricity, telecoms, water and welfare facilities will be carefully threaded through the historic fabric to enable the new uses. The Undercroft is currently used as open space.
It is envisaged that glazed panels, with timber frames, will be fitted between the columns to support new internal uses such as exhibition and display. Access will be gained from the east side of the building, by way of an accessible level entrance. A frame structure will be provided within the paved area of the Market Square, in order to provide electricity, lighting and anchor points for nine market traders.
Using a project viability grant awarded to Whitby Town Council by the Architectural Heritage Fund, a team led by specialist conservation architects Burrell Foley Fischer, were commissioned to carry out a condition survey of the building and recommend what repairs are required. They were also requested to suggest ideas for how, whilst respecting its history and heritage, the building which has been empty and unused since 2017, could be repurposed for sustainable uses and facilities improved for market traders.
The project will forge links to the Pannett Art Gallery & Whitby Museum and signpost to other heritage and cultural assets in Whitby providing a gateway to the wider historic and cultural offer of the town. Overall the aim is to create a vibrant and bustling Market Place with the Old Town Hall building a key focal point which provides a more attractive setting to residents, shoppers and visitors than the existing setting.
Cllr Linda Wild, Town Mayor of Whitby, said:
“The town council welcomes the start of this project and is pleased that BFF are undertaking the work. We want to understand what needs to be done to secure the building, correct years of neglect and misuse and bring it back into active use in a way that supports local businesses, satisfies local people and delights visitors.”
Historic photograph of the Old Town Hall and Market Place